


Our Own Devices

by nebulace



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: F/F, Found family themes, Gen, Not Canon Compliant, Severa doesn't get the girl but she gets a family, my version of how the time travel trio got to nohr (gods and dragons be damned), the time travelling trio are wannabe criminals before going to the royal family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-14
Updated: 2016-07-18
Packaged: 2018-07-23 23:01:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7483362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nebulace/pseuds/nebulace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leaving the flames of war behind shouldn't hurt, but it did. She missed the lost faces of children forced to grow up, she missed the anticipation of not knowing what the day brought, she even missed the hatred and the fear on the battlefield. She missed all the feelings that reminded her why she was alive. </p><p>Years go by and Severa is just as lost as ever, with no purpose or aim she wanders the country with memories of cold steel and burning blue eyes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Many Days Fell Away With Nothing To Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Severa tries to find ...something while wandering and thinking.
> 
> Work title and chapter title taken from - Pompeii by Bastille

Severa cried.

She couldn’t help it. For so long she kept it inside, and now she could hold it in no longer. The war was won, it was finally all over. And yet she felt like the world had dropped out from under her feet. Her father had died several battles ago. She remembers him throwing himself in front of her at an oncoming lance. She saw him fall with his face to the sky.

He had given her a wry smile and immeasurable guilt as his parting gift.

 

And now Cordelia was to never return as well. A slight of hand. A single mistake; that was all it took. 

She had looked around her; looking for someone, anyone, to help. Familiar faces were all around her but they couldn’t spare a second glance. The clanging of metal against breastplates, and arrows through flesh was too much, too loud, in Severa’s head.

_Why is it always me?_

_Why couldn’t I protect her?_

_Can’t I do anything right?!_

Her vision was clouded and she couldn’t think through the muddy haze.

Severa sank to her knees, for once not caring about the grime and filth, and let her own sobs drown out the concerns of her friends. She could hear the sympathetic murmurs, the soothing voices, and she felt the light hands on her shoulders providing comfort. But all she wanted to do was to scream, to cry and most of all, to rewind time and save them. That was her mission coming back in time and she had failed them again.

She remembers wanting to have been the one that arrow shot instead. 

***

It didn’t take long for everyone to leave and return home, they all wanted to forget and heal the wounds of war. She had nowhere to return to, didn’t know where to go, so she was left staring emptily at the fading sun.

“Severa?”

The crunch of leather boots on gravel had warned the redhead of someone approaching. On any other day she might’ve just got up and left, anything to get out of speaking to the one person she couldn’t lie to. But she was too tired to be prickly today.

She sighed, “What do you want?” she snapped with feigned irritation, “can’t you see I’m busy?” gesturing vaguely towards the horizon.

She didn’t want to talk to her Exalt now. She didn’t even want to look at her because she knew the second she saw the worry behind those blue eyes, she would cry.

Lucina had moved to sit beside her, their thighs pressing close and hands close enough to overlap. Severa tried not to feel the warmth that spread through the contact and heating up her face. Instead she focused on the dull orange glow that made Lucina's hair burn golden. The strands of flyaway locks fluttered in the wind and only seemed to magnify the Royal's aura as someone who was holy and divine. 

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Lucina breathed, unaware of the attention she was receiving from her friend. 

Severa tore her gaze from the scene before her and returned to staring at the still-blazing light.

The Exalt exhaled slowly as if expelling all stress from her body, "Maybe I'm just tired, but seeing the sun after all the fighting somehow makes it look even prettier. Does that sound weird?" she chuckled.

Azure eyes met brown and she felt her breath catch.

"A little bit, yeah." 

***

It’s been years now since Severa left Ylisse. Exactly how many years, she didn’t know. Time seemed to fly by and she never bothered to try and catch up to it. 

Sometimes she would catch herself looking into the water and be reminded of a generous smile and eyes just as deep and calming, but quickly dismissed it and continued on her way. 

She had left for a reason after all. She wanted to forget all that had happened years prior. It was over and now she was left with nothing. Her mission was to protect her parents, and her life; dedicated to the Crown of Ylisse. But her parents lay beneath muddy battlefields and the royal family was intact and faring well. She had no purpose to remain in the kingdom. 

Now all Severa could do was hike across countries, selling her skills with the sword to whoever will pay. It was the only skill she had. The amount of people willing to pay money for the blood of others disgusted her, but then again those are the people who lined her pockets with coins. 

The stories she could have told about her adventures made her miss the campfires back during the war and she briefly wondered what their reactions would be to her epic tales.

She would sometimes raise her head to speak, only to be greeted by empty air. She always forgets that there was no one there. Instead she threw the thin canvas over herself and tried to forget the sounds of laughing teenagers lost in war. 

***

When she said she wouldn't have minded some company she didn't expect the universe to grant her stupid wish. Now, standing in front of her are two idiots she thought she had left behind along with her purpose in life. So, she reacted the way she knew best. Indignition. “What are you guys doing here?” Severa spluttered.

They both ignored her accusing tone and grinned. The mercenary in blue chuckled and waved, “It’s lovely to see you too, Severa,” he leaned on the other’s shoulder, “glad to see you havent’t changed a bit.”

She scoffed at this.

The taller of the two men moved his hand to cover half of his face, “Thy sword hand longed for adventure! Bravely two heroes of old set forth and never once looked back…” 

Severa finally found her voice, “I thought you would’ve stopped your nonsense at the age of 25.”

Owain heaved a sigh and pulled his hand down, “We got bored, okay?” he said, dropping his act.

Inigo grinned mischievously, “It’s actually because Owain knocked over one of Maribelle’s tea cups.” he snickered then patted the hilt of his sword, “we ran out of supplies pretty quickly though and had to pick up jobs.”

His tone was light and he laughed at the end of his sentence but his eyes were dark and lackluster. She saw Owain’s other hand grip Inigo’s shoulder tightly before his eyes hardened for a second. She couldn’t help but laugh humorlessly.

“It always comes back to this doesn’t it?” she asked and mimed a blade with her thumb and drew it across her throat. She watched as they both bristled and Owain stepped forward.

“That was out of line, you know.” He frowned. “You know none of us asked for it.”

“That didn’t stop us from getting hurt, did it?” She spat, “Where’s our precious dragon goddess when all of it was over?”

“Naga saved us, without her power we couldn’t have rewritten the past, you know that!”

“What about now? Where can we go?” Severa dug a chipped nail into the blonde’s chest and bared her teeth. “Where can I go?”

She felt a warm hand close around hers and blinked through tears. Inigo leaned closer and she could see the hurt and memories of the past behind pewter eyes.

“You could come with us,” he said softly. He gave a smile that looked like it was about to break, as delicate as glass, “it’ll be just like before.”

_Just like before_

She was tempted. Inigo made it sound so easy, like she could just reach out and everything will go back to what it used to be. They would all be together again instead of scattered across time and space, her parents would be alive. Maybe she could even see her again…

_But_

“I know what you’re thinking,” Owain cut in before she could voice her doubts, “but think about it, Severa. Us against the world!"

Owain's smile was soft but his eyes betrayed his excitement. She turned to see Inigo's face mirroring Owain's. The unspoken plea weighed on her shoulders until she felt like she'd break. 

She gave a resigned sigh before grinning, "The world better prepare itself then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the first chapter! This has been an ongoing off and on thing I've been working on and I'm finally putting it somewhere. Everything is unbeta'd so apologies for any mistakes I make. Thanks for reading, Cheers


	2. Sip a Drink of the Alcohol

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With their previous argument still fresh in their minds, the three try to make money elsewhere. Fortunately for them, stealing isn't too punishable a crime and that's only if you're caught. Unfortunately, they get caught anyways.
> 
> Chapter title from the song- Reckless Abandon.

_The world must really hate me_

This was what Severa thought as she tore through the crowded bazaar, Inigo and Owain whooping behind her. She glanced at either side of her and found the two idiots racing each other on top of terra cotta roofs, kicking off dust and hung laundry in their wake. 

“I thought you were going to be subtle!” She yelled when Inigo flipped off one of the border guards chasing them. She groaned when all she got in response was a shrug and an expression that screamed “Sorry, not sorry.” before he took off again. 

When the blue-haired princelet told her and Owain he was dabbling in thievery they both shared a look. Inigo was about as subtle as a flamingo at a funeral, but Owain said to give him a chance and look where that got them. Being chased through masses of sweaty people (in a country they’ve spent less than two days in) was not how Severa wanted to spend her Sunday morning. Her internal gripe session was interrupted when she heard a shout of, “SEVERA DUCK!” and watched as a hand axe nearly took off her head and whizzed past. 

Jesus fucking christ. 

“This is it. I’m going to be arrested and beheaded. My name unknown among a list of other faceless criminals because someone wanted to steal a fucking pot.” She glared accusingly at Inigo’s bobbing bedhead. 

“Hey! It’s a vase,” He pronounced it like ‘vaahs’ and it made her cringe, “besides I’ve seen this design before in the castle, it’s worth a pretty penny.” Inigo replied smartly. He reached across his body and into his bag as if to grab something when suddenly his eyes went wide. He glanced at his side and grimaced. “How much did we need for supplies again?” 

Cue the collective groan from Severa and Owain. The blond shook his head, “Dude, you are the worst thief ever. I mean, what kind of criminal forgets to take the stolen goods?”

The _vaahs_ was supposed to be discreetly taken and sold at the bazaar to pay for food and possibly new weapons. Severa wanted to get her sword reinforced and sharpened at the blacksmiths instead of replaced, she knew it was sentimental and kind of sad but it was the only constant she had this entire time. Replacing it felt like she’d be throwing away whatever identity she had left. 

She had been lost in thought long enough to forget about the border guards chasing them, her body on autopilot, until she heard a shout of, “Just wait ‘til I catch you rats! Crossing into our country without permission and stealing from us, no doubt you’re working with the Hoshidans! You think just because you have your fancy religion and culture spots you can step on us, we’ll show you, motherfuckers.” But the distinctly female voice seemed to be falling further behind them as the three sped along the roads and alleys. 

Severa didn’t know how long they’d been running, but it was enough for her legs to feel like jelly once they finally collapsed. Normally if you asked she would tell you she was the fittest mercenary around but after that, she never wanted to move ever again. Groaning she straightened up against the brick wall, “So that happened. Any more bright ideas, bluebird?” 

He opened his mouth but she quickly interrupted, “that was rhetorical, please don’t say anything or I might just sell you for supplies instead.” 

The sweaty, but always energetic, prince gave a sound of indignation, “I was gonna say we could go and get drinks but since you didn’t mean it…” Owain gasped as Inigo produced a pouch of coins from his knapsack. 

“When did you get those?” He looked positively star-struck. Inigo preened as he retold the (short) story on how he snatched the pouch a little after he thought he took the vase. 

“I almost feel bad for whoever left it on the counter like that,” he hummed thoughtfully, “but hey, pity doesn’t buy shots,” he added with an eyebrow wiggle. 

They all remembered the first time they had alcohol, they had stolen a pint of mead from Lon’qu (the guy had an affinity for the stuff, coming from the cold wasteland of Regna Ferox). They all had taken tentative sips which they all spit out once the strange taste hit their tongues. Owain had grimaced and pledged to never drink again, meanwhile, Inigo moaned that if he couldn’t drink he could kiss all the cute barmaids goodbye. Severa had snorted saying he had hit on them before he even knew what alcohol was. Maybe it was growing up that did it, or maybe it was the warm feeling of careless abandon that made them like the drinking later in life. Regardless, shots sounded fucking amazing right about now. 

“Woohoo, time to get smashed.” Owain cheered, getting up from his place by the dumpster. 

“Ew, who says ‘smashed’ anymore.” Severa made a face. Inigo just laughed and started towing away the two friends, who started arguing about linguistics. 

***

After an hour careful maneuvering through crowds and alleys, they came across a small bar with a wooden sign declaring the name to be, “The Lazy Faire.” Severa thought it sounded like a strip club of sorts but at this point she didn’t care one bit. 

“So I can order while Inigo chats up some poor girl out there, or Inigo orders and chats up the bartender.” Owain muses. She sighed because, honestly, no one is safe from Inigo’s terrible pickup lines. 

“I got the drinks, make sure he doesn’t die he owes me money,” Severa muttered before dragging herself towards the burly man behind the bar.

One “did you fall from heaven?” and a slap later they were sitting at the, albeit grimy, bar counter with three shots of rum. 

Tossing back her head and feeling the burn of the dark amber liquid helped a lot more than it should. The three bathed in a foggy silence while waiting a bit for the alcohol to settle into their systems, appreciative of the dim lights and dark wood in the bar. 

“Oh that feels so good after all that,” Owain laughed, probably slightly tipsy now. “Isn’t it good we're all lightweights because I don’t think we can buy any more of that.”

“Says you. I can handle my alcohol waaay better.” Inigo stretched his arms to indicate the supposed gap in tolerance. 

Severa rolled her eyes while her blonde companion snorted. Inigo is full of shit. The three couldn’t even afford more of the drink to prove their claims so the argument quickly dissolved to giggly “uh huh”s and “nuh uh”s. 

They were all under the influence at this point, so neither of them noticed or cared when Inigo gasped audibly and loudly whispered, “There’s a beautiful girl over there that I would love to get to know, y’know?” and gave a giggle at his own joke. Severa squinted in the direction he was pointing in and could only make out long blonde hair on the back of a head. Not her type. She and Owain only waved him off with a few, “have fun,” and “don’t get your ass kicked too badly,”s and continued chattering about the practicality for magic versus a physical weapon. 

***

Inigo sauntered up to the blonde while trying to restrain the probably dopey grin he had on, and cleared his throat. 

“Did you lose your halo, miss? Because I think you’re an angel.” He delivered smoothly while leaning on the counter. He saw widening blue eyes and cute straight bangs as she turned to him, practically memorizing her petite nose and flushed cheeks. Then she gave a grin that could only be described as predatory and spoke. 

“And I think that you’re arrested.” 

Faster than Inigo could think (which is slightly slower due to the rum) he had his hands behind his back, with a tanned man twice his height and stern eyes. The man glowered at him impassively before looking at the girl and grunting, “Do we even have that kind of power, Charlotte?”.

Inigo found it useless to struggle against this bear of a human being but gave his wrists a few shakes anyways. Dammit. He should have recognized her and her pal as the border guards that were chasing them earlier. He blamed the alcohol, who’s idea was it to go drinking anyways? Oh yeah, that was him. It was then that Inigo swore he’d never drink again if he survives jail.

Charlotte slipped off the barstool and waved dismissively, “Who cares, Benny. If we bring in Hoshidan trespassers to the royal family I’m sure we’ll be rewarded handsomely. You know how much King Garon _hates_ them.” She turned, scanning the cramped space and lit up when her eyes landed on Inigo’s companions. 

Inigo felt himself being propelled against his will towards where Severa and Owain sat, dreading the look on their faces when they see what he’s gotten them into. He glanced at little miss Charlotte, her pretty porcelain features twisted in her smirk when she firmly planted herself in front of both Ylisseans. 

“Thought you got away and came here to celebrate did you? Well, I have some bad news for you, punks.” She spoke with a slight drawl, “You three are under arrest for your crimes and will be punished under the law of Nohr.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summer break has been fairly lax, I'm just a slow writer. Thank you guys so much for the kudos, it really means a lot to me that someone out there likes my stuff and I'll definitely keep writing for as long as I can. As always, my work is unbeta'd with only grammar checks from myself, so I apologize if mistakes were made. Thank you all again and I'll see you next chapter!

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are really appreciated since I have no idea what I'm doing lol. Thank you to all who bookmark and give this work as much love as i tried to put into making it, y'all are the real MVP's.


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